'Phantom stop leaves bus users stranded' - Caroline Pidgeon AM

9.19.00am BST (GMT +0100) Fri 24th Oct 2008

Caroline Pidgeon, the Liberal Democrats' transport spokesperson at the London Assembly, says she hopes Transport for London can come up with a universally acceptable solution after a phantom bus stop disappeared.

Caroline says: "I was contacted by one of my Liberal Democrat colleagues in Leytonstone about a bus stop which had mysteriously disappeared from Cathall Road leaving locals facing a long walk to the next nearest stop.

"I contacted TfL and after some investigating they discovered the bus stop was never meant to be there in the first place. It seems the sign had just been stuck on a lamppost and bus drivers had been mistaking it for the real thing."

A letter received by Caroline from TfL confirms "Someone had stuck a roundel (the round London Buses sign) on a lamp column so that it resembled a bus stop.  We do not know who did this, but it was not with the permission of London Buses."

The letter adds that as the bus stop was at the brow of a bridge it was in a dangerous place for buses to stop, meaning a permanent, official bus stop at that location will not be feasible.

Caroline says: "While I'm pleased we've got to the bottom of this it now leaves people in the area, who'd been used to using that stop, with a long walk to the next nearest stop.

"TfL has said they'll work to try to find a solution and I'll be keeping tabs on their progress."